I am an outspoken, highly opinionated Black woman. My friends will tell you that I am no shrinking violet. I take up space everywhere I go, and I am not afraid to voice my opinion when the need arises. 

Because of this, I’m well aware that I can rub some people the wrong way. I accept that, and I own it fully. It’s par for the course. 

As an outspoken, highly opinionated Black woman with a large platform who regularly publishes content that gets people of all types (white, Black, or otherwise) in their feelings, I know that it is going to come with a certain amount of backlash — either in the form of comments on my social media posts, or nasty emails, or comments left on my personal website. I’ve even had people try to reach out to the publications I write for in an attempt to have me canceled. 

It’s a thing. 

I also know that I haven’t always gotten it right. I have been called out before for having a bad take. When it happened, I took a moment to think about what people were saying to me, thought about what I said, and was able to understand how what I said may have been stated incorrectly or been easy to misinterpret based on the way I worded it. 

I took those opportunities to either clarify what I meant, explain my point further or own my erroneous take.

It’s not that hard. 

Amanda Seales recently went viral on social media after complaining that she was not invited to the NAACP Image Awards. She believes that Black media is not supportive of her.

Amanda Seales and I agree on some things. I’m always here for calling out white supremacy and the systems in this country that have been put in place to keep Black people subjugated and marginalized. I applaud her willingness to tackle these topics and speak out about them loudly and unapologetically.

Sometimes, Amanda Seales gets things wrong, too, and it’s not about her delivery, as she noted in her video; it’s about the problematic things she says. 

 

Amanda Seales is not a victim of anything but her own hubris